Tooth powder dispenser



Nov. 21, 1939. 1 BETHKE 2,180,389

TOOTH POWDER DISPENSER Filed Sept. 19, 1938 JZ 4ZQWO4;

4540 5221 .sa f6] Patented Nov. 21, 1939 PATENT oFFicE TOOTH POWDERDISPENSER Leo Bethke, Melrose Park, Ill'., assignor of onehalf tovSamuel W. Bradstreet, Maywood,'lll.

Application September 19, 1938, Serial No. 230,568.

11 Claims.

This invention relates to powder dispensing devices, and moreparticularly to a tooth powder dispensing device designed to discharge asmall or measured quantity of the powder onto the tooth brush uponinsertionoi the brush into the device to actuate the same.

Among the objects of the invention are to provide a novel, simple andattractive device of the above character which forms a desirable andconvenient accessory in home or oce with im,- proved brush actuatedpowder dispensing means and vibrating means actuated thereby orsimultaneously to agitate and loosen the powder to free and cause thepositive discharge thereof and thereby prevent the powder from cloggingor caking within the container or hopper and insuring the feedingthereof to discharge pockets and passage to supply the brush with justthe necessary and desirable quantity of powder for use, such as on atooth brush for cleaning the teeth.

Other objects and advantages will appear and be brought out more fullyin the following specication, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the powder dispensing device showing themanner of using the same;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional Viewl thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig.'2;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 4 4` of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the oscillatory or vibrating auxiliary hopperor funnel to agitate or prevent clogging of the powder. I

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the device is shown ascomprising a fitting or bracket consisting of a housing or casing I!)which is vertically elongated and relatively flat. This casing may bedie cast or made of other suitable material in one, two or more sectionsas shall be found most convenient. It is provided with a vertical rearwall I I which may be provided with side flanges I2 for supporting thedevice against a wall or other vertical support having opposed groovesfor this purpose as is common. The front wall is designated at I3 and isrelatively thick, while the side walls are designated at I4 and thebottom at I5 forming an internal chamber I6 to accommodate the workingparts of the device. At the front above and at the top portion of thevertical front wall I3 is a hopper I'I shown substantially conical andformed by enlarging and rounding the side and front walls ofv thecasing.- This hopper has an outwardly and upwardly extending flangelilabove the casing forming an internal upwardly facing shoulder or seatI 9 upon which a receptacle 20 containing the 5, powder is adapted to besupported in an inverted positionand secured in place in any suitableway. An auxiliaryhopper or` conical funnel 20 seats within the hopper,I'I and is adapted to be oscillated or vibrated therein to preventclogging or caking of the powder. This auxiliary hopper or funnel isnormally disposed against the back portion of the hopper I'I to providea space 22 at the front allowing movementof the vibratory funnel thereinand the lower portion ofthe wall of the hopper II is curved rearwardlyand provided with Y an arcuate recess therebeneath, as shown moreparticularly in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The funnel is supported for agitation upon a pivot formed by aprojection 23 at the top and back of the wall, the funnel having a hook24 at its top edge engaging the projection or pivot to support thefunnel in position to be oscillated or swung back and forth at vitstapered end, which is provided with a slot or opening 25 at the bottomor back portion thereof through which the powder contained therein isdesigned to bedischarged-.f This slot forms an edge wall 2 6, thepurpose of which will be subsequently explained.

At the lower portion of the front wall I3, the

casing is provided with a vertical slot or frontv I opening 2'I` adaptedto take atooth brush in the manner shown in Figs, 1 and 2 of the drawingwith the bristles extending upwardly. A narrow slot 28 may also beprovided in the bottom to 35 accommodate certain parts of the actuatingmechanism or lever as will be subsequently explained and forming opposedshoulders 29 for supporting and guiding the brush during its movementinto and out of the casing through the opening 21. suitably journaled inthe opposite side walls of the casing, as by means of a shaft `3l), is awheel or disc 3| having a plurality of equidistantly spaced teeth 32forming intervening concaved pockets 33 in the periphery thereofdesigned to receive a small or measured quantity of powder sufficientfor use and designed to convey the same ydownwardly between the Vdiscand the concaved portion of the front wall at the inner side of thelatter and the passage produced thereby. The .disc may be provided witha peripheral groove intermediately or at the side for receiving a springarm 3,5 which may be anchored, as shown at 36 in the casting or in anyother -suitable way; This spring serves `to friction the rotation of thedisc as well as to guide the powder and insure depositing thereof on thebrush as well as assisting in dislodging the same in the passage. Across arm in the form of a bell crank lever or yoke 31 is pivotallymounted on the shaft 30 and, as shown, this lever is formed on areversed curve or ogee and has its lower arm 38 extending downwardly andforwardly in inclined position and provided with an engaging end 39adjacent the opening 21 and limited in its forward movement against theforward end of the slot 28. The upper arm 40 extends upwardly andrearwardly in the chamber I6 and carries a pivot 4I on which is mounteda spring pawl 42, the pivot being held in a slot 43, if desired, so thatthe pawl will engage in back of the teeth 32. The pawl is held againstdisplacement from the teeth or riding upwardly by a lug 44.

In the operation of the device, the brush is inserted in the opening 21to engage the end 39 of the lever 31 to move it from the full lineposition shown in Fig. 2 to the dotted line position shown in saidfigure. This will swing the arm 40 upwardly and forwardly and vcause thepawl 42 to advance the disc one or two teeth at a time. As the teeth areadvanced, they will strike the edge wall 26 and swing the funnel intothe space 22 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thus causing the funnelor auxiliary hopper to be vibrated or oscillated as the teeth pass saidedge wall and effectively loosen the powder so as to feed the same intothe pockets of the feed wheel or disc and prevent the same from cloggingup in the hopper or passage. The disc is preferably of some materialsuch as Bakelite or bre to prevent undue noise or wear or possiblecorrosion and it will be seen that a measured quantity of the powderwill be deposited on a brush at each operation just sufcient for use.This will not only result in a saving, but will prevent the scatteringof the powder such as happens when applied in the usual way. Uponwithdrawal of the brush, the lever will swing down by gravity and yreturn the pawl to its original position for operation. A pan may beinserted in the slot 28 for the purpose of catching surplus powder whichmay spill over the sides of the brush.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is` capable ofVariation and modification without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as newand desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a powder dispensing device, a casing having a hopper for thepowder having an outlet, means for receiving and feeding the powder fordeposit on a brush or the like, an auxiliary hopper movably mounted inthe first hopper and having an outlet and means to actuate the auxiliaryhopper to cause agitation and discharge of the powder from the hopper.

2. A powder dispenser including a hopper, a vibratory auxiliary hoppermounted in the rst hopper, and brush actuated feeding mechanism in thecasing for receiving the powder and for actuating the vibratoryauxiliary hopper.

3. A powder dispenser including a casing having a brush entrance openingand a hopper with means for supporting a receptacle above the hopper, afunnel mounted in the hopper for oscillation and having a dischargeopening, a wheel having pockets and adapted to turn in the casing, meansto engage and agitate the funnel and'means for advancing the wheel instepped relation upon insertion of a brush through the opening in thecasing.

4. A powder dispensing device having a casing with dispensing means, ahopper and an auxiliary hopper mounted for movement in the aforesaidhopper and having a discharge opening, said dispensing means havingmeans intermittently engageable with the auxiliary hopper foroscillating the same.

5. A powder dispensing device having a casing with dispensing means, ahopper and an auxiliary hopper mounted for movement in the aforesaidhopper and having a discharge opening, said auxiliary hopper havingoperative connection with and adapted for actuating the auxiliary hopperupon operation of the dispensing means.

6. A powder dispenser of the class described comprising a casing havinga hopper for receiving the powder, said hopper being mounted loosely formovement and having a discharge opening near the bottom, means foragitating the hopper, and lever operated dispensing means having pocketsfor receiving the powder when actuated.

7. A powder dispenser of the class described comprising a casing havinga hopper for receiving the powder, said hopper being mounted loosely formovement and having a discharge opening near the bottom, a discrotatably mounted in the casing and having peripheral pockets withintervening teeth adapted to intermittently engage the hopper andrelease the same, means to friction the rotation of the disc and brushactuated means for advancing the disc.

8. A powder dispenser of the class described comprising a casing havinga hopper for receiving the powder, said hopper being mounted loosely formovement and having a discharge opening near the bottom, a discrotatably mounted in the casing and having peripheral pockets withintervening teeth adapted to intermittently engage the hopper andrelease the same, means to friction the rotation of the disc and brushactuated means for advancing the disc, Said actuating means adapted toreturn to normal position by gravity.

9. A powder dispenser of the class described comprising a casing havinga hopper for receiving the powder, said hopper being mounted loosely formovement and having a discharge opening near the bottom, a discrotatably mounted in the casing and having peripheral pockets withintervening teeth adapted to intermittently engage the hopper andrelease the same, said casing having a brush receiving opening, a leverpivoted in the casing and having a pawl designed to engage the teeth ofthe disc, said lever extending adjacent the opening for engagement ofthe brush to advance the disc, and means to return the lever to normalposition.

10. A powder dispensing device comprising a casing with a hopper and anadjacent wall, a vibrating member mounted in the hopper, a toothed wheelrotatably mounted in the casing, a spring arm mounted in the wall andfrictionally engaging the wheel, said arm extending between the wheeland the hopper and serving to dislodge powder in a passage between thewheel and casing, and means for advancing said wheel.

l1. A powder dispenser comprising a casing, means for supporting andretaining a receptacle in an inverted position on the casing, saidcasing having a tapered hopper beneath the receptacle, an agtatingmember in the hopper and a discharge passage therebeneath, a feedingmember mounted in the casing, a spring arm frictionally engaging thefeeding member and extending down into and below the passage fordslodging the powder, said feeding member serv- I operated means foroperating s ber.

aid feeding mem- LEo BETHKE. y

